The third week of the Emirates NBA Cup (formerly known as the In-Season Tournament) gave us hints on which teams got eliminated and which teams gained paths to the Knockout Rounds. With the stakes getting higher and higher, players are supposed to step up. Unfortunately, being under the bright lights of the tournament can get in your head sometimes.
Here are some of the squads or players that have failed to live up to the moment.
Donovan Mitchell
Mitchell knew it was going to be a tough night after he missed his first 10 shots. He ended up with a 5-for-23 effort from the field as the Cleveland Cavaliers lost to the Atlanta Hawks for the second time in a week. The Cavaliers, who also had zero blocks, saw their 17-1 overall record quickly become 17-3 thanks to the Hawks.
Donovan Mitchell 0-9 against the Hawks. That’s wilddddd bro lol
— Fallout (@Fallout119754) November 29, 2024
Brandon Miller
Miller had a bad night while Moussa Diabate couldn’t hit a free throw in three attempts. This combination was one of the reasons why the Hornets lost, by a single point, to the New York Knicks. It took Miller 25 shots just to make seven field goals; he finished 2-for-11 from three-point range.
Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers only have themselves to blame after committing 17 turnovers against the Oklahoma City Thunder. How? Well, those costly turnovers led to 20 points for Oklahoma’s squad. Although the game got close in the fourth quarter, one more turnover doomed Los Angeles’ chances when Austin Reaves threw a bad pass during crunch time.
Remember Austin Reaves rookie yr he was passing was like Magic Johnson pic.twitter.com/Vme46O6Qmx
— Dion Apollo (@DionApollo) November 24, 2024
Missed Opportunities
The Minnesota Timberwolves and the Miami Heat had tough losses during the week. The Heat lost to the Milwaukee Bucks by just three points while the Timberwolves, who were up by five with two minutes left, allowed the Houston Rockets to come back and force a tie. Minnesota, of course, went on to lose in overtime. These teams ended up being eliminated by the end of the week.
Surprise Eliminations
Among those that were eliminated, the Sacramento Kings and the Indiana Pacers were probably the ones that stood out as both teams lost their first three tournament games. The Pacers were just finalists last year while the Kings couldn’t even beat the inferior Portland Trailblazers to at least earn one win.
This Pacers defense is… uh… pic.twitter.com/PBn6IyYPRy
— Esfandiar Baraheni (@JustEsBaraheni) December 1, 2024
Main Image Credit:
NBA.com | Caption: MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – NOVEMBER 27: Anthony Edwards #5 of the Minnesota Timberwolves drives to the basket against Malik Monk #0 of the Sacramento Kings in the first quarter at Target Center on November 27, 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
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